Liberals revive bill to allow health records to be shared across Canada

The federal Liberals re-introduced the Connected Care for Canadians Act (Bill S-5) to set interoperability requirements and ban data blocking so digital health information can be shared across provinces; the bill has been tabled in the Senate and officials say accompanying regulations could take several years to develop.

The government has re-introduced the Connected Care for Canadians Act to address fragmented electronic health records across the country. Officials say incompatibility among systems can lead to missed intervention, delays in treatment and potential misdiagnosis. The bill would set interoperability requirements and limit so-called data blocking while maintaining privacy protections. Instead of starting in the House of Commons, the government has tabled the legislation in the Senate for initial consideration. Key details: - The bill is titled the Connected Care for Canadians Act and is presented as Bill S-5. - It would establish requirements for interoperability so different electronic medical record systems can share information. - The legislation would prohibit health information companies from data blocking while upholding patient privacy rules. - Government officials emphasized the Act does not create a digital ID, platform, or a central database of health information. - The bill was tabled in the Senate and must move through the upper chamber before returning to the House of Commons. - Officials said it could take several years to develop accompanying regulations and administrative monetary penalties, and the federal plan is framed as a minimum standard tied to a previous Canada Health Transfer commitment. Summary: If passed, the law aims to make patient records more readily shareable across providers and jurisdictions, which officials say could improve care coordination and reduce burdens on clinicians. The immediate next step is Senate consideration, and regulatory work and implementation timelines were described by officials as likely to take several years.